New Article Says German Asbestos Workers Will Now Get CT Exams for Early Cancer Detection, According to Surviving Mesothelioma

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The German statutory accident insurance (DGUV) decided to provide LDCT as a special occupational medical examination for workers previously exposed to asbestos....

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB)August 12, 2016

German researchers say high-risk asbestos workers now have access to low-dose CT exams for detecting early signs of asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma. Surviving Mesothelioma has just posted details of the article. Click here to read it now.

According to the article’s authors, the decision of the German statutory accident insurance to cover low-dose CT exams for asbestos workers was based on the findings of the National Lung Screening Trial. That study found that CT exams in heavy smokers lowered the risk of death from lung cancer.

“These results...were pivotal as the German statutory accident insurance (DGUV) decided to provide LDCT as a special occupational medical examination for workers previously exposed to asbestos and with a particularly high risk for developing lung cancer,” writes Dr. Karina Hofmann-Preiss, of the Institute for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Imaging in Erlangen.

The article, published in the German journal Radiologe, says the number of German asbestos workers diagnosed with asbestos-diseases like malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer is rising in spite of the 1993 asbestos ban.

“Mesothelioma’s long latency period means that, even though Germany has banned asbestos for more than two decades, workers exposed before that time are still at risk,” says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor of Surviving Mesothelioma. “The new coverage for LDCT exams is potentially life-saving news for these workers.”

For nearly ten years, Surviving Mesothelioma has brought readers the most important and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. All Surviving Mesothelioma news is gathered and reported directly from the peer-reviewed medical literature. Written for patients and their loved ones, Surviving Mesothelioma news helps families make more informed decisions.